By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has recorded yet another major breakthrough in its sustained clampdown on vandals and criminal elements sabotaging public infrastructure, this time leading to the arrest of three suspects in Onitsha, recovery of stolen transformer parts and high-tension cables, and the death of another suspect in Obosi who attempted to evade arrest by jumping out from a one-storey building.
Confirming the incidents in a statement on Friday, the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the operations were carried out on Thursday, August 21, at separate locations, which include Atani Road, Onitsha; and Ascension Anglican Church Road, Obosi, adding that the operations were conducted through the combined intelligence and swift response of operatives.
According to him, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, acting on credible intelligence, stormed a suspected vandals’ hideout along Atani Road in Onitsha, where three suspects were apprehended. The suspects, he said, were identified as 25-year-old Adamu Ali, 22-year-old Usman Sulaiman, and 26-year-old Isah Abdullahi.
Recovered from the suspects were bags of high-tension cable wires, melted cables, and parts of transformer equipment, which preliminary investigations revealed to be items stolen from power installations. The Police further disclosed that the suspects belonged to a larger syndicate that specializes in vandalizing and selling critical electrical infrastructure, with Lagos identified as their primary sales outlet.
Continuing, the Police Spokesman said in a separate incident earlier the same day, security operatives on patrol around Ascension Anglican Church Road, Obosi, accosted four young men carrying a black “Super Shopping” bag in suspicious circumstances. While three of them escaped on sighting the operatives, one suspect was apprehended with the bag. A search by the operatives revealed items including assorted cut-to-size armoured cables, iron cutters of different sizes, a glass cutter, a pair of hand gloves, a black sling, a bunch of keys, clothing items, and a pair of rubber slippers.
According to the Police, the suspect, whose identity and address has yet to be verified, was subsequently taken into custody. However, while he was still in custody of the security operatives, about to be handed over to the Police along with the recovered exhibits, he attempted to escape, and consequently jump down from a storey building. In the course of efforts to re-arrest him, he sustained gunshot injuries, and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was confirmed dead on arrival, and his body has deposited in the morgue for further investigations.
SP Ikenga further confirmed that the exhibits recovered from both operations are currently in police custody, while the weapon used by the security operatives during the re-arrest has also been recovered. He added that a full-scale investigation is ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects and recover more of the stolen items.
While reiterating the Command’s zero tolerance for sabotage of public utilities, Ikenga urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements, especially around government installations, to the nearest police formation. He assured Ndi Anambra that the Command would continue to act decisively against criminals to safeguard lives, property, and critical infrastructure across the state.
